Policy makers in southern Long An province have been provided with
alternative ways to respond to climate change and its related threats
under a two year pilot project.
The 385,000 EURO (495,000 USD)
project “participation in Climate Adaptation” offered the officials
measures to fight floods, saltwater intrusion, drought and water
pollution.
Co-funded by the Dutch government, Long An province,
and the International Water Governance Centre, the project covered
pilot areas in the southern coastal districts of Can Duoc, Can Guoc,
Chau Thanh, and Tan Tru, where floods from upstream combined with high
tides from the East Sea (via the Soai Rap estuary) can lead to severe
inundation.
Dr. Patrick Untjens, Director for the Water partner
Foundation and the project leader, said the strategy offers a
consensus- based mixture of measures. These include completing and
upgrading the dyke systems and creating more room for rivers and nature
to increase their resilience and the water discharge capacity of the Vam
Co River Basin as a whole.
It also provides a variety of
measures for optimising water supplies, including rain-water collection,
sustainable groundwater exploitation, water saving technology in
irrigation, and sewage and wastewater treatment.
The project is
the first of its kind in Vietnam to introduce a comprehensive
approach for full-scale and meaningful participation by relevant
stakeholders at different levels for developing a climate change
adaptation strategy.-VNA